Cancer Awareness Week at SUU

  Some events happen in life and you just want to do something about it. Well at Southern Utah University, we have a chance as students to just do that. We are asked to do what is called an EDGE project. The skies the limit when it comes to the project. For me, I did a cancer awareness week on campus. I had purple ribbons around all 210 light poles and had a wear purple day during the week.
   Cancer is a word that has been used way to often, especially for me. My mother is a Breast Cancer survivor and in August 2013 my father passed away from Colo-Rectal Cancer. Not only has it been both of my parents, but I have had close friends, and family also be affected. For the longest time, I thought we would be fine because it is not in my genetic history until now. Cancer can develop in anyone at anytime. People should be aware of that. Also, people show know that what you do in your younger years can really effect you as you get older. So with this, knowing and being aware of cancer can really help change and prepare you.

(purple invaded SUU)
   With my experience, I wanted to do something to honor my friends and family. Also, I wanted to help show other people on campus that they were not alone, that another person knew what it was like to be effected by cancer. I decided I wanted to put purple ribbons on the light poles and ask people to wear purple on that Wednesday.

(Me putting up ribbons)
   I got a group of volunteers to help with the ribbons. It was a bunch of different people who wanted to help. I got the group into four small groups and they all got a corner of the school and moved into the middle. The groups became better friends and new friendships built up as the night went on. One of my roommates told me that it was one of the best nights and it was so much fun putting up the ribbons.

(my roommate putting up ribbons)
  On the Wednesday, it was so interesting seeing people on campus wearing purple. As I walked around campus, there were these people I have never seen before wearing purple. There was a hash tag for people to post pictures. There were only a couple that did so but it was interesting to me. There was one post about a girl wearing purple in honor of her father who passed away. It was really cool to see how this girl I never seen before has the same reasons to care about cancer.

  This project showed me that I can really do anything that I put my mind to. Also, that it is not that hard to show awareness. I loved that I could honor my parents and friends with this week. I wanted people to see that it really can happen to anyone. Cancer is becoming more and more common in people's lives. Bringing awareness can help to one day have cancer be something of the past.